Biography
Sinbad was an American standup comedian and actor who appeared in dozens of popular films and TV shows over the course of his decades in show business. Born David Adkins in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Sinbad grew up loving sports. After high school he was accepted into the University of Denver where he played two years on the school's basketball team. After college Sinbad enlisted in the United States Air Force. Oddly enough, it was during his time at the Air Force that Sinbad first tried out standup comedy. The Air Force was having a talent competition and on a whim, Sinbad decided to give standup a try. He had no previous experience working as a comic but made the audience roar during the competition. It was at that moment that he envisioned an unlikely career for himself as a professional comedian. After leaving the Air Force Sinbad began performing standup comedy in his hometown of Michigan, and eventually at clubs throughout the Midwest. He got his first taste of nationwide exposure after coming in second place on "Star Search" (Network Ten, 1983-2004) in the mid-1980s. After appearing on "Star Search" Sinbad was offered a recurring role on the short-lived "The Red Foxx Show" (ABC, 1986). That show, however, was cancelled after one season. The following year, however, Sinbad nabbed his first big break when he was cast as Coach Walter Oakes on "The Cosby Show" (NBC, 1984-1992) spin-off series "A Different World" (NBC, 1987-1993). Sinbad played the Coach Oakes character for 59 episodes of the series. By the early 90s Sinbad's career really began to take off. In addition to headlining his first HBO comedy special "Sinbad: Brain Damaged" in 1990, he also nabbed parts in the films "Necessary Roughness" (1991), "Coneheads" (1993), and "Houseguest" (1995). Furthermore, Sinbad also starred in his own sitcom for Fox called "The Sinbad Show" (Fox, 1993-94). "The Sinbad Show," however, ended after a single season. Having already become a household name by the mid-90s, Sinbad continued working steadily throughout the 2000s and 2010s. In 2013 he voiced the role of Roper in the animated family comedy "Planes" (2013), and also lent his voice to the animated series "Steven Universe" (Cartoon Network, 2013- ). Sinbad returned to television acting in 2018 when he joined the cast of the Fox sitcom "Rel" (Fox, 2018- ). The series, which was based on the life of the comedian and actor Lil Rel Howery, premiered on the network in September of 2018.
